Monthly Archives: June 2010

Real Networks, a company which was once one of the biggest online media brands out there, has released a mobile app for Android. Dubbed RealPlayer Beta for Android, the application is an all-in-one media player capable of handling Music, Videos and Photos. It supports MP3, H.264, MPEG-4 and JPEG. It is being geared as an overall media solution for Android smartphones.

Though its not the best media player around, RealPlayer is still very good. The interface is extremely sharp and stylish. Unfortunately, however, the menus and overall operation of the app is still sluggish, but we forgive this because the app is still in beta! It is still growing and developing.

Music can be viewed according to Artists, Albums, Genres, Most Played, Ratings and Recently Played and this can be switched easily with a slide bar at the bottom. The Home button helps you switch from Music to Video and so on. The app is very easy to navigate and friendly. I found it to be one of my most user friendly media apps available at the moment.

You can download RealPlayer from Market. If I were you I’d definitely give it a look!

Engadget appears to have gotten a tip about a new device from Huawei running Android 2.2 (aka Froyo). Judging by the specs, it’s an all-around solid device. It might not wow people with it’s small 2.8 inch QVGA capacitive touchscreen, but it should get the job done for most.

Pictures and specs also indicate a 3.2 megapixel camera, possibly with a dual LED flash and a little HSDPA 3G connectivity thrown in for good measure. At first glance, it actually looks like something that could really appeal to the masses of people that don’t want to pay hundreds of dollars for a huge 4 inch screen (e.g. Evo 4G, Droid X).

However, before you get your hopes up, I should mention that for now, it will only be available in China (bummer). No word on pricing or carrier availability, but an August launch is rumored for this device. More on this as it develops.

What do you think? Would you like to see more smaller, less overwhelming Android phones hit the market at cheaper prices? Sound off in the comments below!

Update: Looks like the build our source was testing is rolling out to at least a somewhat wider group: posts on XDA Developers and Twitter indicate that a quite a few Nexus One owners are receiving OTA updates to FRF85B.

Despite other sites’ declarations that the Froyo build that starting going out a a few Nexus One owners last week, FRF83, was the final release build, AndroidGuys can confirm that Froyo for the Nexus One is still in testing and not yet in wide release.

A couple clues did point to FRF83 being the final release version: protected apps were visible in the Market to FRF83 users, and it started going out the same day the Froyo code was dropped into the Android Open Source Project. But it didn’t quite add up to us: for one thing, why would Google not acknowledge the release with an announcement of some kind?

Today, a source inside Google let us know that Froyo builds for the Nexus One are still in testing, and that at least one build numbered higher than FRF83 has been OTA’d to a small testing group.

The pace of these releases–this one just a few days after the last–and the fact that most rough edges have been polished off, lead us to believe that the full release is imminent. My guess is that we’ll see the final release version this week. And the source we spoke with is using a Nexus One on AT&T, so there is a possibility that FRF83 is the final build for T-Mobile-tuned Nexus Ones. (The Eclair builds for each version of the Nexus One did have different build numbers.) But take all that with a grain of salt– it’s just our speculation. We’ll hold off on confirming anything until we know for sure.

Engadget just broke the news the Kindle is now available for Android handsets running 1.6 or higher. With all the rumored and future Android tabs and phones on the way, along with the iPad/iPhone versions will the Kindle be an also ran for Amazon? As always, only time will tell.

Features include:

Search and browse more than 620,000 books, including 108 of 111 New York Times Bestsellers, plus tens of thousands of the most popular classics for free directly from their Android device. Bestsellers such as “Backlash” by Aaron Allston, “Big Girl” by Danielle Steel, “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot, and “The Lost Symbol” by Dan Brown, and hundreds of thousands of other popular books are .99 or less in the Kindle Store

Random Posts

As part of our redesigned Monday night podcast, we’ve gone back to focusing on application recommendation and discovery. We have a dedicated segment where we talk about apps that we’ve been using on a regular basis or new titles that really stick out. Now we want to hear from you. Going forward, we’re looking for your help in putting together the app segment. This week we’re doing a word association to help other Android users out…

What Android app comes to mind when you hear “summer vacation“? It is a hotel booking application? Do you think of a turn-by-turn GPS service? Maybe you’re cooking on the grill now and using a specific recipe app. Whatever the case is, we’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below with your selection(s) and we’ll read them on tonight’s podcast!

Motorola announced the Flipout handset earlier this month, tapping it as a European release later this quarter. According to an anonymous tipster for Android Central, it’s arriving stateside on AT&T as well. The uniquely-designed device features Android 2.1 with an updated version of MOTOBLUR, and a 3 megapixel camera. It’s definitely not a high-end phone by any stretch however it could have a mass market appeal thanks to its form factor.

I can’t say that I am surprised AT&T would offer this phone. It feels exactly like the type of Android handset I’d expect to see on Ma Bell’s network. With the exception of the Samsung Captivate, the carrier has consistently shown they aren’t pushing for strong, powerful phones. The Android Central tipster claims the phone uses Yahoo for search as opposed to Google. Again, not much of a shock. Anybody want to wager whether or not AT&T restricts access to applications outside of the Android Market?

US Cellular has confirmed that the Samsung Galaxy S will be one of their four Android-based handsets slated for release this year. It was just last week when I suggested that US Cellular would offer this device as Samsung is practically blanketing the world with this phone. The Galaxy S follows the HTC Desire and Samsung Acclaim and definitely positions the smaller carrier as one who “gets” Android.

Unlike the big four players, it doesn’t look like this will be a custom US Cellular version of the device. If we were to liken it to any of the US models, Verizon’s Fascinate seems a logical choice. We’ve yet to see pictures of either model so for all we know, they could be the same. The hardware reads like this: 1 GHz Hummingbird processor, 4-inch Super AMOLED display, and a 5 megapixel camera with HD (720p) video recording. The phone is powered by Android 2.1 and has the Samsung TouchWiz 3.0 UI. We’re waiting for pricing and release date so be sure to check back.

Sure, Microsoft might be selling seven copies of Windows 7 a second, but that doesn’t mean Redmond isn’t planning for the future: the software giant is purportedly beginning to prep ODMs on Windows 8, if these leaked slides are to be believed. It doesn’t look like anything is nailed down just yet, but some interesting larger themes are being discussed, like improving startup and and wake-from-sleep times to be nearly instantaneous, the addition of higher-speed interconnects like USB 3.0 and Bluetooth 3.0, hard drive encryption, ambient light sensitivity, and facial recognition login / out. That last is the most interesting, as it hints at some Kinect-style user detection, but then again, PCs from HP, ASUS and others can do this already, so we’d like to see some more of Kinect bleed over as well — we could definitely see the gestural menu navigation hit Media Player and IE. Unfortunately, there’s no dates on any of this, and we can’t imagine Microsoft will shift gears from Windows 7 anytime soon, but it’s still nice to dream — hit the read link for the full set of slides.

Update: The folks at Microsoft Kitchen have pored through all the slides and come up with some interesting takeaways. First, Microsoft appears to be looking to what it refers to as Apple’s “virtuous cycle” of brand loyalty, and the company wants consumers to think of Windows 8 as being just as uncomplicated and high quality. There’s also a render of a concept Windows 8 machine (pictured above), which looks like… well, it looks like a remix of the Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh from 1997. Microsoft is also tailoring Windows 8 specifically to slates, all-in-ones, and laptops, which suggests a great emphasis on touch to us — there’s a slide of user interacting with something called a “Lap PC” that looks like a convertible tablet.

Other interesting notes include a “push button reset” that automatically resets Windows to factory condition while leaving a user’s files in place, an August 2010 beta data for IE9, and most interestingly, plans for a “Windows Store” app store, which will allow apps and settings to follow users from machine to machine. However, docs show that not a line of OS code had been written until at least this month, and all of the slides are marked “Windows 8 Discussion — this is not a plan of record” so it seems like everything is still a bit up in the air. Looks like Microsoft is planning some big moves, though — we’re definitely eager to see what makes the final cut.

Update 2: We’ve had a nice long look through the slides ourselves, and that Windows Store is looking pretty interesting even at this early juncture. Early mockups show a Zune-like interface with content curated not only by Microsoft, but also partners and device manufacturers, and there’s even a “Apps your friends love” section. The Store will also apparently recognize which device you’re using and display content appropriately — things that run on a desktop may not play nice with a tablet PC — and there’s a robust-looking developer dashboard so indie devs who intend to monetize the new platform can keep track of the goods. See what the experience might look like in the gallery below.

Update 3: While there’s no telling what Microsoft will actually do when it starts coding the OS, documents indicate it’s currently asking partner OEMs whether Bluetooth 3.0 + HS and IEEE 1394 are important to their customers. Why? Microsoft doesn’t plan to support either in Windows 8 if at all possible. Is it finally the end of the road for FireWire?

Is it possible we’ve been so busy we didn’t notice our Android app getting a handful of totally fresh new features? Maybe, but hey — you still win. If you’re an Android user, you might like to know that some time last week we flipped the switch on an update to our app that includes some pretty sexy new features, such as search and video playback inline (for Froyo devices). Additionally, our webOS app was recently bugging out, but that issue has since been fixed. Of course, the iPhone and BlackBerry apps are still available and as fly as ever — so go grab a copy right now! We’re including the changelog for the Android app after the break, too. Feel free to nerd out on that.

StatCounter‘s issued a press release today which reports that Google’s Chrome browser has overtaken Safari for third place in the United States on a weekly basis for the first time ever. Chrome nabbed the spot with an 8.97 percent share, following behind Internet Explorer with 52 percent and Firefox with 28.5 percent. Safari ranked fourth according to their stats with 8.88 percent. Globally Chrome has been in third place for some time, but this is the first time it’s surpassed Safari in the United States. The statistics were compiled using data for the week of June 21st to June 27th. Full pr is below.

Here at Engadget, we keep our noses to the grindstone and try not to worry too much about awards or recognition. Still, it’s always nice when we are recognized, so we were pleasantly surprised to see that we’ve been named one of Time‘s ‘Best Blogs of 2010.’ We were especially happy to see our recent redesign (which we are extremely proud of) given a nod. Needless to say, we’re incredibly proud of the work we do here with our ever-expanding team. Hit up the source to check out the whole list.

Seriously, words cannot describe how incredibly entertained we are by this Mario Live wallpaper for Android 2.1 and above devices. All across the home and locked screen, our favorite Italian faux-plumber protagonist runs through randomly-generated levels across various themes like outside, underground, and castle. It’s very customizable, allowing you to change the level’s difficulty, see the alternate paths Mario’s AI has plotted, and rendering the background (all at a cost to CPUs and battery life, of course). Free download — donations suggested, of course — and if you’re looking for a way to stare at your phone even longer, well, look no further. Videos through which you can live vicariously are after the break.

We’ve been receiving numerous tips over the last hour that Nexus One owners on AT&T bands are receiving an over-the-air update for Android 2.2 FRF85, otherwise known as the “bulletproofed” Froyo build. No confirmation at this point, and since you’re asking, no word yet either on an update for the larger T-Mobile N1 install base (though we’ve had at least one report of a user on FRF50 getting the OTA today). We’ve pinged Google for answers, will let ya know what we hear.

Update: Thanks to a few readers, we’ve now got a direct link from Google’s servers to update from EPE54B to FRF85.

Update 2: Tipster Christian R has sent us a picture of his T-Mobile-banded Nexus One with FRF85, apparently updated from Android 2.1 build ERE27. Has the T-Mobile rollout begun? Not for us, at least.

Update 3: And now we’ve got a direct link to download a FRF85 build that’ll supposedly work for any Android build. We can safely say that it worked for us on a T-Mobile device with 2.1 / ERE27. Download from Google here, and if you need direction on how to do the update yourself, take a cue from our commenters. [Thanks, MRCUR and afinite]

In case you needed any more evidence that Samsung’s Epic 4G for Sprint is probably going to be awesome, you might take a gander at the competitive analysis they’ve prepared against the iPhone 4, Droid Incredible, and Droid X as an ego-boosting checklist for reps prepping to sell the phone in the coming weeks. The DLNA support trumpeted, but HDMI’s notably missing — something its EVO 4G sibling has — and it’ll be up to customers to decide whether 4-inch Super AMOLED is better than 4.3-inch LCD. Unsurprisingly, the Epic will “feature” the same data surcharge that the EVO has, something that we’re guessing is going to end up being phased in over Sprint’s entire smartphone lineup over time — you know, kind of like those delivery service “fuel surcharges” that end up becoming permanent after a while. Anyhow, the Epic looks killer on paper, but if anything, the chart only underscores how incredibly stiff its competition is going to be. Choice is good, is it not?

We don’t see a ton of Sharp cellphones ’round these parts, and fewer KIRF Sharps still. But we did get a kick out of the Decca N88 that popped up on M8 Cool recently. Featuring a 3-inch, 260k color display, dual SIMs, and support for all the usual media formats, this is pretty standard shanzhai fare. The attraction for is definitely the vaguely Kickflip-ish form factor (complete with swinging hinge) and the AQUOS logo placed below the keypad for good measure. Get a closer look after the break.